


a week out west

by mar_iposa



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Slow Burn, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:28:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mar_iposa/pseuds/mar_iposa
Summary: Jason and Dick get together to take down a gang's hold on a city, expose some corrupt cops, and learn things about each other.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 11
Kudos: 44





	a week out west

It's miserable outside and the taxi that Jason is in is blasting the AC, fighting the 100 degree weather while also blasting the smell of old cherry-scented air freshener and tobacco back at him. The combination makes him feel sick, so he bites the inside of his cheek and tries to focus on other things.

Jason starts to think about where he's going tonight. The driver is taking him to the hotel he’s staying at while he’s in Las Vegas. Bellagio Hotel, a hotel that he only chose because it was close to most of the other hotels and because it didn’t have some kitschy theme to all its decor. They were driving by casinos that all had some gimmick- ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, New York- and Jason wonders who thought that was a good idea. It made them look like theme parks instead of the gambling dens, strip clubs, and drug fests that they usually were.

Tonight he was either going to scope out some nightclubs or bug the common areas he might hope to find Graham or Lloyd- two surnames were all he knew about his targets. Jason hated how unprepared he was going into this mission. It was his impulsivity that brought him here on such short notice. 

It started out as a simple patrol around Gotham. It was the first time Red Hood had gone out since losing Bizarro and Artemis. He had only waited a week before going out solo, reasoning that he would only work small cases for a while. To his credit, he had been doing a good job of it, mostly seeking out street criminals that didn’t put up much of a fight.

It was actually on a night that Jason chose to go out for a drink instead of patrolling when things changed. It was a Saturday- two and a half weeks without Bizarro and Artemis- and he couldn’t stand his apartment. He was staying in the Upper East Side in an inconspicuous, cheap one-bedroom apartment. The couple next door were yelling their latest grievances at each other and Jason knew he didn’t want to stick around to find out if they managed to get to make-up sex for the third night this week.

So Jason chose to shake off his bad mood with expensive scotch from O’Malley’s. He was sitting by the bar, trying to focus on the Gotham Knights game playing on the barside TV. He was having trouble ignoring the words he could read from the men across the room. Jason knew that GCPD frequented this bar and the men looked like they were off-duty.

 _How much do you think you’ll get from it,_ the taller one said. They were sharing a table, talking over some paper they had scattered around.

_I know it’ll be enough to give Ida that trip to the Alps she’s been asking for._

_I figure I can probably auction off those outfits we’ve confiscated from Harley Quinn. I bet there’s loads of creeps that would pay good money for that._

There was going to be a black market auction in Las Vegas next weekend according to the two cops from O’Malley’s and that’s why Jason only had a week’s notice to find it in Las Vegas. He also didn’t have a hideout, money, or any connections anymore, but that was _fine_. Jason Todd used to do the heavy lifting himself, back before Artemis and Bizarro and even before Kori and Roy, and he can do it again.

* * *

Jason spent a short time throwing his equipment around his room before spending a few hours on some of the first real research he’s been able to make. He’s able to find one of the names: Bradley Duncan Graham, a twenty-two year old who loved to spend his daddy’s wealth on illegal big-game hunting in Botswana and, evidently, one-of-a-kind supervillain memorabilia. Bradley’s latest tweet is a retweet of an event a nightclub has going on and that’s good enough for Jason.

He takes a quick shower, stops at one of the casino-entrance shops for something to eat, and makes his way to Obivue Nightclub. It’s the opening night for the rooftop club’s summer season of events. The Strip looks a lot nicer from up here, at night when everything below was lit up with dancing lights and the smells were a lot further away.

Jason scans the room to see if he can recognize Bradley among the crowd, but it’s already gotten too crowded for Jason to do a thorough job. He winces at the thought of having to look for him in the wave of partygoers that the DJ has amassed, so he moves to check the VIP booths lining the walls first. He freezes before reaching one of the bigger corner booths.

 _No fucking way_. Jason almost turns to leave, but the other man has already noticed him and it’s embarrassing that Jason is still stood there. Despite himself, he walks over to the booth.

Dick Grayson is there, draping himself out across one end of the booth. He’s wearing a black slim-fitted suit that is tailored to every end of him and his jacket is unbuttoned to show off his loose, white dress shirt. Jason thinks it makes Dick look like a tool.

He doesn’t bother getting up to greet Jason. “What, not even going to try and make nice?” Jason tries to keep his tone playful. He’s not exactly happy to be seeing Dick now but he thinks they’re on good terms, so he pushes himself to be cordial even though Dick is looking back at him like he doesn’t recognize him.

Dick finishes a drink from his table and hands it off to Jason. “Bring me another and maybe we can talk.” Jason isn’t sure, but he thinks there’s a flirty uptick in Dick’s voice. He looks at the table and notices that there’s several other empty glasses strewn about that.

 _They can’t all be his_ , he thinks. _Dick Grayson doesn’t fly out to Vegas and go on a bender._

Jason narrows his eyes at Dick hoping that he’ll get more of an explanation, but Dick just motions the glass closer. “Fine. What’s your order?”

He smiles up at Jason, his glassy eyes standing out with all the colors the club’s excessive lighting fixtures had dancing across his face. “Surprise me,” he said.

Jason hears the lilt in his voice this time. He takes the glass from Dick and tries to turn around fast enough to hide the blush he feels forming. _Dick Grayson doesn’t usually smile when we see each other either- not like that, at least, and why is he acting like that? Like he’s..._

He shakes his head and pushes the thoughts away. Once he reaches the bar, Jason orders the first sugary drink the bartender suggests- a piña colada- and turns to get back to Dick.

He doesn’t move much further when he sees Dick isn’t sitting alone anymore. Bradley Graham is there, hanging his arm around Dick’s waist and reminding Jason why he was at this club. Even though Bradley has Dick attached to him like arm candy, he is otherwise ignoring him and looks more involved with the conversation he is having with the two men sitting across from them. They stand out as a group and Jason can see the way people stop to notice them before moving along. 

Jason wonders if Bradley’s friends are going to the auction with him later that week and that’s when he pieces it together. _Dick Grayson goes on a bender if that’s what the guys that are getting him into a black market auction like to do._

 _Goddamnit. Now what?_ He doesn’t like the idea of giving up a case to Dick, but he thinks he should be courteous enough to at least not sabotage something that’s currently in progress. Jason looks down at the drink he should have been bringing back and- _damn him, always a step ahead_ \- realizes that Dick had thought of that already. They had barely said anything to each other and Dick was already taking the lead.

Jason bites back his displeasure and takes a moment to think- _to be mindful_ , as his therapist would say. Bruce insisted on the therapist when he offered to fund Red Hood’s vigilante habits and it was the only thing he had kept paying for since Jason had killed Cobblepot. Bruce had fought Jason with a level of anger that didn’t leave him with any pretenses. Bruce was done with Jason. _No more excuses._

“I’ve never seen you hit Joker that hard,” he had chastised Batman- _how stupid-_ and that was the last memory he had of the fight before waking up to find that Roy had pulled him away. Jason was surprised that none of the bats had bothered him about it since. He hadn’t even considered that Dick might not want Jason around considering what he had done. 

_Okay_ , _he hasn’t told me to fuck off. Actually, he’s the one that asked me to come back. Maybe he didn’t even hear about it_. Jason doesn’t believe that, but it helps. Jason pauses, breathes, and pushes himself forward. _Maybe this will work out._

Now he just has to get to Dick alone, which wasn’t going to be a problem with the opening Dick has given him. Jason makes conscious efforts to change his demeanor on the way. One step and he lets his stride relax, another and he loosens his expression, another and he starts to think about who he’s going to be. He can still go by his own name considering Jason Todd isn’t somebody the world remembers, but he needs to act like the kind of guy that wants to take a rich boy out dancing. By the time he reaches Dick, Jason thinks that might not be so hard.

Bradley’s friends notice him first. They snicker with each other and point Jason out to Bradley, who responds to him with a glare. Jason doesn’t let it break his stride. When he reaches the group, he pointedly ignores the others and offers Dick the drink. “You look like you could use a drink.”

Dick snorts at that. His amusement is palpable next to the men shooting daggers into him. “Yes, please,” he says to Jason before leaning over and whispering something Jason can’t read into Bradley’s ear.

Dick gets up from the table, takes the drink in one hand and pulls on Jason’s hand with the other in one fluid motion, and pulls them towards the dance floor. He must have taken his suit jacket off some point earlier because his sleeves are rolled up and- _damn him-_ it made his muscles look great. It’s not his fault that he can’t help but notice the arm that’s leading him away.

“Took you long enough,” Dick says when they’re far away enough. He finishes his piña colada along the way, putting down his empty glass on a table they pass along the way before pulling Jason further into the depths of the large, dancing crowd.

It feels like somebody is bumping into them every step of the way. They reach the center and it's so cramped that they need to lean into each other. As Jason scans the faces dancing around them to make sure he can start talking, he feels the gusts of wind tunneling through the gaps in the crowd. The wind is as hot as the air around them. It’s suffocating. Jason can’t find a breath of fresh air anywhere. _Fuck, when did it get so damn hot?_

Dick pokes him in the side, jerking back Jason's attention and, _wow_ , it's not as hard to breathe now that he's facing Dick again. The air is still stifling, but Jason can take deep breaths again. “Come on, we're here to dance.” He grabs Jason's hands, urging him to start moving. Jason instinctively pulls away but quickly reminds himself to _calm down._ He wants to find out more about Bradley, and Dick's currently his best lead.

“Right, sorry." Luckily for him, Dick continues bouncing to the music without another word. Jason follows his lead, dancing close enough to whisper into Dick's ear _just in case_. "So, you’re here for the auction too?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jason can feel Dick’s breath against his collarbones, as hot and damp as the air. “Who brought you here?”

“Some GCPD guys.” Jason feels Dick huff at that. This time the breath sends a shiver down Jason’s spine and he hopes all the loud noise and dancing is enough to hide it from Dick’s trained eye. 

“I heard it from BPD.”

"You're back in Blüdhaven?" Dick flicks him on the stomach. _Point taken._ "So, you here with someone?"

"I came here with Bradley."

"I've heard of him… was hoping I had more time with him before pissing him off, actually."

Dick laughs. "Sorry about that. I can make it up to you."

"Yeah? How's that?"

"Well," Dick hesitates. He's still swaying to the pop the DJ is playing but Jason catches his body tense. It's the first time he's caught Dick break his momentum. It's slight- maybe it shouldn't even count- but Jason notices it before Dick shakes it off. "You could take me back to your place tonight."

Jason can't help laughing at what he just heard. He is currently in Las Vegas, miles away from Gotham or Batman or _anybody_ else he knows, and he's in a nightclub being hit on by Dick Grayson. Jason knew what Dick really meant when he said that, of course. _Do I want to team up?_

They had worked on an undercover mission together about a year ago. It went well but only because Artemis had been there. She always knew when to take over a conversation- always caught the moment that Jason stopped tolerating somebody to spare him from getting any angrier- and Jason had been very unhappy about having to work with Dick at the time. Dick could talk to anyone with ease and it didn’t take long for him to hit it off with Artemis. Jason never had the chance to ask her about what they talked about that day, but after that mission Artemis had told Jason that Dick had been good company. “He’s not as bad as you made him out to be,” she said, “and I think he liked working with you.” Jason knows what Artemis would say if she were here right now. _Just say yes. He hasn’t even done anything to piss you off yet. What’s the worst that can happen?_

“I have a hunch that Bradley might have some objections."

“So? I never knew you to back down so easily."

This time it’s Jason who flicks Dick in the stomach. "But you don't know me," Jason reminds him.

"No, I guess I don't." Suddenly, Dick drapes his arms around Jason's neck. He's still dancing, but now he's close enough that his legs graze Jason's when he moves. "But I’d like to."

Jason has never done anything like this before. He's never flirted with anybody that wasn't working alongside him, familiar enough with him to ignore all the bad parts. He still hasn't, he realizes, because Jason and Dick are only getting together for a case. It's hard to keep in mind when Dick's clinging to him like this. _Okay, let's do this._ He decides to reciprocate and drops his hands down to either side Dick's waist. "If that's what you want."

They dance for the remainder of the song, close and energetic. Jason is enjoying it somehow. He doesn’t mind the air or the temperature anymore and it’s been a while since he’s seen a familiar face. Sure, Jason wouldn’t have chosen it to be Dick, but maybe it’s been so long that the two have run out of arguments. Maybe it’s not and they both go back to seeing each other once a year when it’s over. Either way, he knows he’s excited to see the look on Bradley’s face when he’s the one leaving with Dick under his arm.

**Author's Note:**

> I have not written in a long time! If you find anything glaringly wrong with characterizations or have a suggestion that could make this story better or literally ANYTHING to say, please comment! thanks for reading :)
> 
> * Please note that in my story, no Robin other than Jason has died. No fake deaths, real deaths, quasi-death... nope. All the Bats have more than enough to be angsty about!!


End file.
